68000

Introduced in 1979, the 68000 chip is closely associated with the Apple computer. The 68000 chip employed a 32-bit design and used a 16-bit data bus. The 68000 was far ahead of Intel efforts at the time.

68010

In 1982, Motorola introduced the 68010 chip. The major difference between the 68000 and the 68010 was the addition of virtual memory support. This chip also incorporated internal cache that made the processing of subroutines much faster. This chip did not find widespread use in the computer world but was used extensively in Motorola's component division.

68020

This chip was introduced in 1984 as the first full 32-bit chip in the Motorola line. The 68020 had the ability to access 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and utilized floating point-processing capabilities. It was used in the Macintosh II and found widespread use in minicomputers as well.

68030

Introduced to the market in 1987, the 68030 had all the features of the 68020 plus demand page memory management. Other enhancements to the chip also increased the speed of the chip. This chip was used most widely in the Mac II series of computers.

68040

In 1989 Motorola's answer to Intel's 486 was the 68040. However, the 68040 did not gain the mar4ket share that Intel's 486 enjoyed.

PowerPC

Apple, IBM, and Motorola all joined together to develop the PowerPC family of chips. Currently, Apple incorporates the chip in its PowerMac series of computers. This chip can also be used in everything from laptops to computers functioning as servers. IBM also plans on using it in its RS6000 line of computers. PowerPC stands for Performance Optimization with Enhanced RISC.

Microprocessors